Chapter 2
Danielle
Over the past few days, I’ve gotten used to seeing Ivan walk through the front door of the cafe. The first day he came back, I was a little bit embarrassed. Sure, the coffee is good, but it’s not good enough to make repeat appearances for by itself.
The second day he came back, I was excited to see him. It’s a little unusual to get the attention I get from a man like him. Boys at school flirt with me, but they’re not anywhere near as put together as Ivan.
Ivan came in the first time I met him in a suit that looked like it cost thousands of dollars.
It was perfectly tailored to his body so I could just make out the fine muscles underneath the fabric.
It didn’t hurt that I accidentally felt him up when I tried drying some of the coffee off of his shirt.
Not only is he ridiculously handsome, but he’s cut like a statue underneath all those expensive clothes.
He’s got a sharp, rugged face with a full beard that I keep finding myself wanting to reach out and scratch.
His hair is dark brown and cut close to his head, but he keeps it neatly styled in a way that looks perfectly effortless.
On top of that, I’ve always had a thing for tattoos, and just by the myriad of tattoos covering his hands, I know they’re all over his body.
Today, he walks in, and my eyes linger on him as he flashes me a soft smile and waves.
He takes a seat at his usual table, and my coworker, Leah, just nods for me to go over to him.
After she tried flirting with him the first day he was here, she deemed him an asshole for not being interested in her.
“Looks like your man is here,” Leah teases, nudging me playfully on the arm. She pretends like it’s a joke, but I know she’s mildly offended that Ivan has somehow chosen me over her.
Honestly, I’m kind of surprised too. All my life, I’ve been constantly outshined by the people around me.
Leah included. Whenever we have a group of cute guys that come into the cafe, they usually all focus on her, the tall, leggy blonde with glittering blue eyes and a pretty smile.
Even at school, I’m used to being overlooked.
I have to work three times as hard as everyone else to get noticed.
I don’t come from money, and I might not be the most glamorous person at NYU.
I have to remind myself often that there’s a reason I was chosen for the Hendrick Scholarship. It’s a prestigious art scholarship that thousands of students compete for every year. I was chosen. The board of directors saw my application, my art, and they decided I was worthy.
Without that scholarship, I would never be able to pay for college.
At least not without taking out a crippling amount of debt.
Even though I love my art and being selected for this scholarship is a huge boon, taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt for an art school degree is ridiculous in this day and age.
I grab my order notebook and walk around the counter to Ivan’s table. After the incident the first day we met, I’m always extra careful with my steps around him. Tripping one time is an accident, but I’m hesitant to create a pattern.
His hazel eyes lock on mine as I approach, and I feel my heart skip a beat. “Welcome back. Double shot espresso, right?”
“That’s exactly it,” Ivan says with a smile. He takes a breath and leans forward almost conspiratorially. “I was wondering if you’d like to grab yourself a drink and join me.”
I’m at a loss for words. Leah has been teasing me all the time about how he might have a little bit of a thing for me, but I hardly believed it was true. Hearing this, I feel the excitement growing in my chest, and I just nod like an idiot.
I turn and walk away from the table awkwardly fast, and the entire time I’m behind the counter setting up the espresso machine for Ivan’s drink, I want to slap myself in the face.
“I’m going to take my break,” I tell Leah, too embarrassed to look at her.
“Hmm, a little suspicious it’s right around the time Mr. Ruggedly Handsome comes in,” Leah whispers, leaning against the counter and looking over at Ivan still sitting in the booth. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with this, would it?”
“He asked me to have a drink with him,” I admit, feeling the blush rise on my cheeks.
Leah grabs my arm and squeezes it tight, barely holding back the excited jumps she does. “I knew you liked him. You didn’t say it, but I knew. I mean, how couldn’t you? The man’s a god. You’ll have to tell me if he’s got tattoos all over his body after—”
“We’re just having coffee,” I interrupt, not wanting to hear where her train of thought goes. “It’s not like I’m going to sneak into the alley and sleep with him.”
“Ugh, you’re so pure,” Leah says, rolling her eyes dramatically.
I know. It’s painfully true how right she is. I’m nowhere near as experienced as some of the other girls my age. Leah is nineteen, and she has a roster of guys to hook up with whenever she wants. I’m nineteen and have done some pretty intense hand-holding.
Ivan is clearly older than me. His face is rugged, and there are a few lines around his eyes, though he doesn’t have any gray hair yet. Honestly, I’ve never been into older guys until now. It’s daunting, though. His experience would probably tower over mine.
But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. This is just coffee, after all.
I finish making Ivan’s espresso and pour myself a cup of steaming hot peppermint cocoa, the cafe’s Christmas specialty. I’m extra careful walking toward the table with both of our drinks, and I almost let out a sigh of relief as I set both drinks down.
“I have to admit, I’ve been wanting to ask you to do this since that first day,” Ivan says as I settle in across from him.
“Even with the coffee burn?” I ask, laughing as I nervously sip on my cocoa.
“Somehow, that made me want it even more.” He rests his elbows on the table and leans forward into the conversation like it’s already the most interesting thing he’s ever talked about. It’s so strange to me. “Tell me about yourself.”
I make a show of pretending to think hard about the question.
“There’s not much to say right now. I’m a full-time student studying animation and digital illustration, and I work part-time at a cafe,” I finally say, shrugging.
“Animation? That’s really fascinating,” Ivan counters, leaning forward further.
“It’s awesome. I really love it. I’m only a first year, so I don’t have a big portfolio as of yet,” I say, preparing to tell him about some of the classes I’m taking next semester to actually start practicing animation. Before I can, my phone rings loudly in my pocket.
I jump in my seat and flash him an awkward smile as I pull it out of my apron pocket. Behind the counter, it’s always so loud that Leah and I both forget to turn our phones on silent and can go entire shifts without noticing. But it’s much quieter at the tables.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, preparing myself to shut my phone off right away. When I see the caller ID, I freeze. I wrinkle my eyebrows, wondering what the Hendrick Foundation is calling me about.
“Everything okay?” Ivan asks.
“Yeah, I just have to take this call really quickly. I’m sorry, I’ll be right back,” I say, sliding out of the booth and walking a few paces away for some privacy. “Hello?”
“I’m calling for Miss Danielle Miller,” a man’s voice says on the other end of the line.
“Speaking.”
There’s a brief pause on the other end, and I can hear the man inhaling sharply as he prepares himself for whatever he has to say.
“There’s no easy way to say this. My name is Richard Hendricks.
My family created the foundation that offered you the scholarship you’ve been using at NYU.
We’ve been investigating your case for several weeks now, and it seems you were notified unintentionally about the scholarship.
You were never meant to be the recipient, and through a clerical error, NYU received a payment for this semester’s education. ”
“What?” I ask, feeling tears sting the back of my eyes. I brace myself against one of the tables, and I just barely register Ivan walking up behind me. Whatever he’s saying is muffled as everything fades away around me.
“I’m sorry, Miss Miller. We won’t be able to offer you this scholarship again next semester,” he continues, his voice cold the entire time.
He gives more details, and I don’t fully understand them as Ivan’s hands are on my shoulders, turning me toward him. I hold the phone to my ear as I pretend to listen, but I’m completely stupefied.
How could this have happened? How could they send the scholarship out to two people and not notice it? How could they just take this away from me?
“Is everything okay?” Ivan asks, his voice laced with worry. I just shake my head, and he grabs the phone from my hand, hanging it up to give me some reprieve from the life-shattering information doled out to me as if it were nothing. “Come sit down.”
“My scholarship was pulled,” I manage to squeak out as he drags me to the table and sets me down in front of my drink. He forces it into my hands, which somehow brings me back into real life. “I’m going to have to drop out.”
Saying the words absolutely shatters me, and I hold my head in my hands, barely choking back the sobs I feel in my chest.
“What? I’m sure there are other options,” Ivan says, reaching a hand out for my arm to squeeze it affectionately. Even through the ache in my chest, I notice the gesture, and I truly do appreciate it.
“Not really. I don’t have any support from my family about this.
I can’t afford to take out the loans I would need to stay in school, and without the scholarship I can’t afford to live on campus,” I say, as tears stream down my face.
“This stupid job barely pays me enough to eat right now. It sure as hell won’t pay rent. ”